Tears
by AquaTurquoise
Summary: One evening while looking through her trunk of memoirs from her younger years, Sofia comes across some things that belonged to her father. Overcome with emotion, she breaks down, only to be comforted by someone who knows all too well what it's like to lose a parent.


Tears

Summary: One evening while looking through her trunk of memoirs from her younger years, Sofia comes across some things that belonged to her father. Overcome with emotion, she breaks down, only to be comforted by someone who knows all too well what it's like to lose a parent.

Disclaimer: I don't own the show.

A/N: I feel it is highly probable something like this could happen with Sofia at some point, though I doubt the show would elaborate on it. Enjoy!

*Story*

Sofia sat on her floor in front of a rather daunting object: her trunk. Granted, she kept everyday items in there such as blankets, extra pillows, and so forth, but she also knew what else was in there… Dresses that were now too small for her, shoes from her toddler years, a doll she no longer played with, her apron she wore before becoming a princess, and…

She shuffled the top layer of items from inside and placed them onto the floor before returning to her task. She knew what she was looking for, but in a way, she sort of hoped she wouldn't find it… She didn't know if she could handle seeing it again.

Her fingers brushed against a smooth box, causing her to inhale slightly. This was it. Sighing, she withdrew the brown box from her trunk and lowered it into her lap. Lifting the top, an aroma invaded her senses almost immediately. It was sort of warm in nature yet very earthy, and it certainly wasn't unpleasant. There was no doubt that was her father's scent.

Sofia bit her lip gently as she, with a shaking hand, rummaged through the small box. A few scraps of parchment with his handwriting lay on top of the stack of items. They were so meaningless at the time: "Miranda, I'm off to the market. Be back in an hour. Love you! Birk" Now… Now they meant so much more. Be back in an hour? If only…

That wasn't to say she preferred her birth father over Roland, of course. She loved her stepdad more than she could explain. But there were days when she had to wonder what could have happened had her original father…

She shook her head and continued riffling through the box. She pushed aside buttons, gloves, scraps of random fabric, and finally found what she wanted. She put the box onto the floor and withdrew a simple cotton shirt, the fabric slightly faded from its original dark brown to a lighter tan now and some miniscule holes spattered about. Then again, his line of work in the village hadn't provided guaranteed preservation of the shirt.

She could remember snuggling with the shirt every night after he'd left her. She would cry herself to sleep and ask why, only to be met with silence and playful, twinkling stars outside her window. She'd inhale the fabric and its lingering scent of her father, which both comforted and broke her. How could he be so close yet so far away?

Sofia braced herself, swallowing nervously, before holding the shirt to her face. She inhaled once and then caught a choked cry in her throat. She tossed the shirt aside and lowered her face into her hands, sobbing. She didn't hear the knock at the door.

"Sofia?" Amber stood outside her sister's door and waited not-so-patiently for the younger girl to respond. It wasn't like her to keep her waiting so long, and she'd promised her they'd spend some time together tonight with a sleepover. When she never showed up, Amber grew worried. And now, she was even more worried that Sofia wasn't answering. She frowned and knocked harder. "Sofia?"

Images of possibilities rushed through her mind. Her sister wasn't exactly without her enemies, so anyone could have come in and taken her. Gasping at that thought, she twisted the knob and shoved the door open. "Sofia! Are you hurt?!" She paused and blinked when she saw the other princess in a heap on her floor, sobbing her poor heart out. "Sofia?"

The auburn-haired girl looked up, tears streaking down her face. "A-Amber?"

Amber walked over and looked at the scattered items on the floor. She then looked at the box before the other girl and knelt next to her, a look of realization on her face. "It's one of _those_ nights, huh?"

Sofia sniffled as Amber reached out and wiped her tears away. "I miss him so much, Amber… Some days I can get back with just a little thought of him, and other days he is constantly on my mind. It's been years but…"

"It doesn't matter. Not a day goes my that I don't think of Mommy." She sighed as Sofia gazed at her. "I get it, Sofia, really… It's hard having a piece of your heart just ripped away." She smiled in a bittersweet manner which just made Sofia sniffle a little more, tears starting to form in her eyes again. "So, you cry. Cry softly or loudly; hold your pillow tightly and let out that frustration." She took the younger girl's hand, holding it in a comforting manner. "Tears don't make you weak, Sofia. They make you human."

The young princess managed a small smile before reaching out and enveloping Amber in a hug. "Thank you, Amber…" She gasped in horror as she leaned back. "Oh, my goodness! I forgot about our sleepover!"

Amber laughed as Sofia wiped away her tears and quickly started organizing her trunk again. "Sofia, I'm not mad or anything. We can put it off if you want a night to yourself. I wouldn't be upset."

Sofia shook her head as she capped the box and settled it into the trunk before draping the blankets and extra pillows on the top, shutting and locking the trunk. She turned to Amber and smiled sincerely. "No. No, I _need_ an Amber-Sofia bonding night. If I get left with my thoughts, I'll just cry all night, and, to quote you, 'That's not who I am.'"

The blonde smiled with a roll of her eyes. "Everyone cries, Sofia—even you. But I'm happy to accommodate you if you're still wanting to do the sleepover."

She just nodded before hugging her again, startling Amber in the process. "I love you, Amber. You're the best sister I could have asked for."

Amber smiled happily and hugged the younger girl back. "I love you too, Sofia. I'll always be here if you need me." She stood and pulled Sofia to her feet as well. "Now come on. Let's get this party started, hmm? And no more tears tonight, unless they're from laughing too hard."

Sofia giggled as Amber tugged her along. "I think I can handle that."

The end


End file.
